Meet the Pack
It’s more information than any of you asked for, but guess what? It’s nearly impossible for me to edit myself when talking about my dogs, dogs in general, or really, anything related to dogs 🤣🤣🤣
Bella is the oldest and quite honestly, the most perfect dog who ever lived. Ask anyone who has met her. She is actual perfection. Born in October 2010, she came into our lives at the most perfect time (that’s another story, but it will come, don’t worry). Without a lot of training, Bella has spent her life hunting and fishing with dog dad, working as a therapy dog (currently retired) in both schools and hospitals, finding balls wherever she goes, adventuring in California and Colorado, all while balancing that with a whole lot of sleeping. She has a perfect little snoot and eyes that will melt your heart. She is so intuitive and consistently does whatever she can to make our lives better. Her uncanny way of knowing what you need and always delivering is not lost on me. I cherish her so, so much.
Kaia is the baby, even though she falls in the middle. Similar to a sour patch kid, she is both sweet and sour. And given her gotcha day is the fourth of July, I like to say that she came into our lives with a bang! She has always been a little unsure of herself and was Bella’s shadow when she was a puppy. I like to joke that I am, in fact, her support human. But however crazy she can, when she turns it off and looks at you with her puppy dog eyes, it’s game over. It’s like you literally forgot she was jumping around and barking like crazy because she also has the ability to melt your heart, it just takes a little longer. Her obsession with playing fetch (with one type of ball only), the hopping on walks, lying in the dirt, or aggressive asks for pets are all what make her endearing. Recently in remission from pulmonary histiocytic sarcoma, she’s finally learning to turn off the crazy a little bit more. She’s almost always down to cuddle and is the perfect little spoon.
And finally, Finn. With no intention of adding a third dog to our pack, Finn came along. I showed Brad a picture of him and he immediately fell in love. A quick meet and greet at the park turned into a third dog coming home with us… oops! Although we are unsure of his age, he is somewhere between 10-12, we celebrate his birthday likes he’s the youngest, but he’s Kaia big brother… that could also be because of his size. Finn is the naughtiest boy you will ever meet. But he is also the biggest love and knows no bounds of personal space. He has never met a toy that he won’t constantly squeak and he has learned to think that every package that comes to the house is full of toys for him (not sure how he learned that!). He is a chief toy tester extraordinaire and a giant puddle of naughty goodness. If you come over, prepare for his full body weight on you as he demands pets.
My husband Brad is also part of the pack. He is the steady, reasonable voice behind the shenanigans that we get up to. “Do the dogs really need that?” or “Don’t they already have that"?” are questions I am constantly asked. But it takes a special person to understand dogstragam and the ins and outs that go with it, so let’s just say, I’m the driving force behind this operation 😉. Brad is an architectural photographer but despite his extreme talent for his job, has yet to take pictures of me and the dogs that I truly love… go figure! He’s an avid outdoorsmen (fishing, hunting, golfing) and a great set of extra hands for navigating life three dogs.
And me… I’m a dog lover, a dog mom, and spend entirely too much time on Instagram. I have found my tribe of people in the online world of dogs, and I will be forever grateful for that. I enjoy writing, taking pictures, reading books, organizing, feeding people, planning events, and frequenting coffee shops. I volunteer in my spare time, SUP, coordinate dog walks, and travel as much as I can. I love my dogs more than anything and I love sharing things that show our every day life.
This is us. Sometimes, it’s a lot. Other times, it’s not. But at the end of the day, it always is, and that’s what I’m here for 🫶🏼. I’m here for the every day moments of living with these three pups. I’m here for what life is with them — the stories, the memories, the mishaps, the unconditional love.
They are my three lab life.